Jasmyn - A Chance Encounter
01 March, 2023
Whilst finishing a day working on my new personal project, BikeLife, in a pinch-yourself location atop a rooftop of an apartment building in Manhattan... I looked down to see a beautiful light being cast across a skate park. When I'd wrapped with my subject I was on a creative role, and being in a foreign city by myself always inspires confidence. I had to wonder into this skate park, it had so much raw life to it, such a lack of social media in the air (despite a fashion editorial taking place haha). I don't know, maybe it was the draw of the light colliding with a spirit of adventure, but I had to go in and observe.
Then I spotted Jasmyn. I had to approach her and at least ask. She was definitely not looking for attention and it was a fight to get her to agree, but eventually she said yes to me observing her with my camera. She was most definitely not posing for a photo shoot, more allowing me in for a minute. I knew my time was limited, and the wonderful New York fall light was diminishing at pace. I wish I could have photographed her friend, who looked like something straight out of the cast of The Goonies, but cool. He said no, I have to respect that - sometimes it's best just to enjoy the moment and put the camera down.
The challenge of Lifestyle Photography in 2023 is the chase for authenticity is getting harder. Street-casting subjects like Jasmyn helps a lot. Un-apologetically herself, no input from any third parties, I was basically a street photographer in disguise.
